Rishikesh & Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is where the Ganges leaves the mountains. In Rishikesh, suspension bridges cross the river between ashrams and cafes, the evening aarti fills the ghats with lamps and song, and the rapids offer some of India's best rafting.

Further into the hills are the lake town of Nainital, the tiger forests of Jim Corbett and, in the monsoon, the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO-listed meadow carpeted with wild blooms.